Prior to the advent of the Communities First programme, community members came together to try to regenerate the Melin area. In 2001 the new Welsh Government initiative, ‘Communities First’ with its promise of long-term financial support gave the community the means of realising their aspirations. This group began meeting in October 2001 to work alongside the new Communities First programme, the group subsequently developed to become an organisation that was named Melincryddan Community Conference (MCC).
On 24 October 2002, MCC became a registered company (no. 4572382) and on 26 September 2005 the company was also registered as a charity (no. 1111450).
Together, Communities First and MCC embarked on a wide range of community regeneration activities including environmental, educational, economic, health, community safety and community engagement initiatives. To oversee and further develop this work the Neath East Communities First Partnership was also formed.
During 2012 following Welsh Government ministerial changes the Communities First Programme was reorganised with a move away from a local partnership approach to a wider Cluster Approach. In response, MCC then aligned with these changes to develop wider area projects to support community regeneration across Neath Port Talbot and beyond.
It was MCC’s goal to be an organisation that would continue to influence the development and regeneration of our communities, beyond the period of the Communities First programme. Our re-branding was part of this developmental change. A sub-committee was formed to work in consultation with community members, volunteers, and staff. They recommended changing the name to Melin Community Trust on 13 June 2018 in a re-branding meeting. This was agreed by a resolution of the full board of the MCC held on 17 September 2018 and the name was officially changed to Melin Community Trust on 26 February 2019.
MCT now functions as a community hub – operating out of Melin Advice Centre. We offer the local community access to a range of outside services, such as Welfare Rights and Citizens Advice. We also have our own initiatives including our Friendship Group and Digital Inclusion sessions across Neath Port Talbot. For a more in depth overview of our current projects, please visit the ‘What We Do’ tab above.